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Senate approves bill clarifying quality improvement privilege for hospitals
Summary
The Senate passed House Bill 22-59 to clarify that good-faith disclosures to patients or regulators do not waive the statutory quality improvement committee privilege, a narrowly targeted legislative response to recent court decisions that created uncertainty for hospitals.
The Senate approved House Bill 22-59 on third and final consideration, a bill framed as a narrow legislative fix to preserve quality improvement committee protections for hospitals.
Chairman Watson explained that recent Tennessee Supreme Court decisions (cited on the floor as Castillo v. Rex) created uncertainty about whether sharing information with patients or regulators can waive the privilege that protects quality improvement committee work. The bill clarifies that good-faith disclosures to patients or regulators do not waive the privilege and creates a safe harbor for voluntary post-adverse-event communications.
Watson said the change is not intended to limit patient access to courts or to excuse negligence; rather, it aims to preserve transparency, patient communication, and continued quality improvement by ensuring hospitals can discuss adverse events without automatically losing statutory protections.
The measure passed on the floor without recorded opposition (ayes 33, no nays) and will proceed to enrollment and administrative implementation where needed.
